Barack Obama said this morning that he "never" doubts his own readiness to lead the nation in international affairs from the first day in office if elected.

Obama gave the one-word answer when asked by CBS correspondent Lara Logan in an interview from Afghanistan aired this morning on the CBS News show Face the Nation.

The Illinois senator also said his high profile trip to the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq and to foreign capitals in the Middle East and Europe was not designed to allay doubts about his preparedness to be commander-in-chief.

"The people who are very experienced in foreign affairs I don't think have those doubts," Obama said. "The troops that I've been meeting with over the last several days, they don't seem to have those doubts."

Obama confidently cast his trip, which will include meetings with government leaders in Israel, Jordan and Western European allies, as a chance for "substantive discussions" with foreign counterparts "who I expect to be dealing with over the next 8 to 10 years."

He said his efforts to reach out to foreign leaders while still a presidential candidate reflected his goal of shifting U.S. foreign policy away from the "unilateral" approach of the Bush Administration to one based on "partnership" with foreign allies.

"It's important that I have a relationship with them early, that I start listening to them now, getting a sense of what their interests and concerns are," he said, "because one of the shifts in foreign policy that I want to execute as president is giving the world a clear message that America intends to continue to show leadership but our style of leadership is going to be less unilateral, that we're going see our role as building partnerships around the world that are of mutual interest to the parties involved and I think this gives me a head start in that process."

Obama, who declared conditions in Afghanistan "precarious and urgent," also urged the Defense Department to prepare plans for a two-brigade increase in U.S. troop strength there that he has advocated.

"I think what it's important for us to do is begin planning for those brigades now," Obama said. "If we wait until the next Administration, it could be a year before we get those additional troops on the ground here in Afghanistan. And I think that would be a mistake."

Obama belittled U.S. and Pakistani efforts to counter Al Qaeda-linked training camps in tribal regions of Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan as "the occasional shot fired" and said he would press Pakistan harder to take action against the training camps.

"I think that in order for us to be successful it's not going to be about just to engage in the occasional shot fired. We've got training camps that are growing and multiplying," Obama said.

"I will push Pakistan very hard to make sure that we go after those training camps. I think it's absolutely vital to the security interests both of the United States and Parkistan," he added.

Comments

I went to an overseas meeting of the Board Of Directors of my employer once. It doesn't mean that I am ready to be CEO - heck, the media manager goes to all of the U.S. Board Of Directors meetings - does that mean she should be Chairman of The Board??

Of course he doesn't doubt his readiness, he is a ledgend in his own mind. Of course it was reported that his foreign policy staff is made up of 300 people. Easy to be so sure of himself with all those people telling him what to say. This guy couldn't even push the right buttons to vote when he was in the Illinois Senate on numerous occasions.

Here's some more hard hitting questions>do you doubt your readiness to lead the nation in international affairs from the first day in office >NOPE ! That must have been a strain to answer ha. What a joke. We wouldn't want him to look bad over there, while he belittles the United States, good lord.

So he expects to deal with these leaders the next 8-10 years, isn't that jumping the gun a bit to assume you will be voted in ONCE, let alone 2 terms?

How does he know that we aren't making any plans for Afghanistan now? I thought he wasn't going over there to tell the White House what they need to do hmm!

It's just amazing how one trip over seas suddenly qualifies this man to be president.He has zero experience in the private economy but yet he's suppoded to fix the economy.Based on what? Luck? The media's job from here on out is to brainwash white people into thinking he's an acceptable president.It was funny that 90% of the troops cheering him were black. Where were the white troops?

Hey look I know all about this foreign policy stuff... in Afghanistan they speak Arabic and in Iraq the speak Iraqian, OK? So stop bothering me with these questions.
By the way, is there a Mickey D's around here? I haven't had a decent feed since I left the States.

A lot of people that is doing the e-mail need to give it a rest
when john mcclain went overseas nothing was said about his trip or tour. The media is making more out of this then what it is it a trip to the middle east for god sake!

I'm looking forward to Obama's presidency in which our foreign policy will be to actually engage our opponents in substantive discussions, instead of the Republican cowboy, shoot first, ask questions later style that we have had to endure for eight years.

This article is another example of the media willing to take Obama's word as Gospel (or should I say Quaran?) If it were anyone else, the reporters would be interviewing others to see what their impression is: the soldiers, the diplomats, the State Department people. No, those people won't come right out and say he's a rank amateur. But they will damn with faint praise. Every buck private in Afghanistan knows more about foreign relations that this pretender to the throne...and has more than a drive-through record of experience.

You people put him down when he hadn't gone yet and now you're STILL talking trash about him!!! Maybe YOU ALL are more qualified!!!! As far as some of his comments that you're analyzing, as my mother-in-law used to say: 'iT'S A POOR FROG THAT DOESN'T PRAISE HIS OWN POND!!'

The media's job from here on out is to brainwash white people into thinking he's an acceptable president.It was funny that 90% of the troops cheering him were black. Where were the white troops?

Posted by: Spidey | July 20, 2008 2:30 PM

I think your spidey senses must be a little off. Don't you like black troops Spidey? Convincing white people is a problem. Many still are rednecks like you. As far as the media......the republicans used our emotions and fears to get us to where we are today so I have no problem using the media. By the way Spidey....90% of blacks voted for Gore.

And Machiavelli - thanks for keeping it classy with your name calling and creative pun usage (Democ'rat's). I'm sure all of the Americans dead, alive and fighting for you at war right now who also happen to be liberal really appreciate that.

Quippy-have you seen the images of OB amongst all these leaders...looks like a scared little lamb, and then when they have him on tv speaking, he takes a breath after, as if he was thrilled to get thru what the helpful 300 told him to say. The man is over his head.

Important new development uncovered by a Hillary Loyalist Now For McCain.
In early February Don went on record describing the Democratic Party process and the way the superdelegates roles should be played out. Now he writes a letter demanding we back Obama.
Read the whole story and watch the video you will become all the more determined to PUMATIZE the NATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!http://hillaryloyalistnowformccain.com/absoluteproofofafixedprimaryelection.aspx

I hope the foreign press asks Obama the flavor of his favorite ice cream. I am dying to know. I am all tingly just thinking about Barack being in the actual Europe with all those ancestors and everything. No doubt about it. Obama has this election in the bag and sewn up. I wonder if he is practicing his victory dance in France right now. Can McCain even find Europe? I doubt it or else he would have gone too.

The Presidency is all about judgement. Those on the Right seem to think that McCain has more foreign policy experience and is more prepared to be the next President. This, the man who thought it appropriate to answer a question about his plans for dealing with Iran by singing a song... Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran...

Maybe it was amusing for some, but when you are vying to be the President of the United States your words matter. McCain is also the same person who could not see the difference between the Sunni Muslims from the Shiite Muslims, and so kept on saying that Iran was supporting the Al Qaeda, whom they've been at war with on and off for centuries.

Obama has shown time and again that he has judgement. Even to the point where the Right seems to be gravitating to his plan to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan, even though they previously said it was a bad thing.

Wish I was as sure about Obama's readiness as Obama is. Hope he picks a veep with excellent foreign policy credentials like Bill Richardson, maybe Joe Biden, etc., and not some lame who wins a few votes in a key state.

Still, Obama is clearly superior to the arrogant, lying idiot now in the White House who gets votes from toothless rednecks cause he has no mistress.

For Keith Hayes who wrote, "The white boys who could have been troops didn't interupt their lives to serve their country." For the record, of the soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq, 74.7 percent, or 3,068, were WHITE, and only 9.5 percent, or 391 were BLACK. I guess you could say their lives were indeed "interrupted" to serve their country. Your ignorance aside, each one of those soldiers, black, white, Hispanic and Asian, are true American heroes. (Source: I.casualties.org).

t, pick up a book. start small, maybe "my pet goat". pay particular attention to the punctuation and spelling. when you're ready, try a history book. ask a friend to help you with the big words. get back to me when you are at the eighth grade level.

I wasn't supporting Hillary, but I'll tell ya this....there are a lot of us out here that thought she got screwed on it. She won the popular vote and you would never have known that untill long after, the press told it like she could never win.

Hillary, please come back, I can't stand this egotistical blot on society. He already thinks he has won the election and is commenting on what he IS going to do for the next 8 to 10 years. Does he know that the term for President is 4 years not 5? Even if he should make it the first time he will never go a second.

Help! Hillary! Help us read the polls and make decisions. Who's Bill sleeping with tonight? Help! Old Angry McCain! Who we going to bomb? How do you drop the most supportive woman in seconds? How do you go from an independent man to a we are the far right man so fast? What's a Shia? Isn't it easy to get places when daddy's an Admiral?

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